Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1887-12-08

name, houey!" The look ia Nathau's eve ,
was SO soft and tendar that the answer
came:
"Baby Tafford."
1t was enough. Innocence and baby.
hood were gone and in their stead were
murder and night. The man sprang across
the fence and strobe through the field. II
kissed him 20 he said. Il left him thar
alive, his boy, his baby! I wanted to
take him home an make like he
wat Harry. I wanted to set
an watch i'm sieepin' in my bed. An me
been trackin' his pa all these years with a
loaded gun tryin' to pay i'm back. That
looks like payin' back. PHI go back an kill
the boy, an when they find him in Eel.
der's field, he'll be dead. They'll know
them" He turned and walk I'd toward the
field again. His face was filled with pas
sion, and his form was bent as he strobe
through the corn.Geld, pushing aside the
stalks with his long arms.
HE sot thar an played with me, the
! little But l'll show him. If hit had
a-been me stidder my boy, / wouldn't
a-keered. But rights right, am one boy
amt no better'n another. 1 kin jist shy
rock at that youngsters head an' may be
he'll lay ravin' in fever like Harry, an
then die. May be-may be Wen sect"
! He heard the cries of the deserted child,
and as he drew near the fence with the
stone in his hand, he saw the little face
| pressed against the rails of the fence, call
ing for help and companionship. "Iwisht
ed a been LAWN on the melon like be
was BEFORE" Nathan thought.
IF was to throw a rock at him now
like as not hit wouldn't git through the
fence. an if bit did hit wouldn't do no
moron put out eve or sump'n. But I'ii
kill lin anyhow. Lay down." lie called
| to the child. "Put yo' head on the melon
an keep still"
The boy obeyed, and Nathan crept to
the fence. "Shet yo' eyes an keep 'em
| shet," he said, as he climbed to the top.
He looked down. A sigh escaped the boys
lips, but he was silent It was easy now
to drop the stone and send the pure little
soul into the presence of it's Maker. But
Nathan sat still, gazing at the boy-the
obedience and trust of the child were too
| much for him to bear.
'"rain't no use. I can't do it. l amt
made that away" He lid silently from
the rails and slipped away. ''Tnin't my
don' if he gifts skeered to DEATH" So he
ran through the corn to the roadway aud
shut out the lonely cries of the child. All
the way home it seemed as if nothing but
sobs were in the cir. When he crossed
the foot bridge of the creek the frogs were
sobbing under the water, and it seemed to
Nathan as if child lay drowning there.
The rustic of the trees by the way had
human sound of sorrow. 1t was quite
dark now, and Nathan was keenly alive to
every sound around him. The absorbed
look had gone from his face Once he
stopped quickly. He saw at his feet a
child lying still, and he stepped out of
the way that he might not crush it. The
walk was longer and more lonely than
he had ever known it before. He tried
to think of Harry, and of the anger
and hatred that he had cherished since
the day his boy was brought home IN ur.
dered, as Nathan thought, by Ezra Stat
ford. He remembered that day well,
SO well Ezra had come and told the
story, for Harry could not.
He took Nathan's old, worn Bible and
laid his hand uEon it and said: Nathan,
me an you's been Almost brothers, an
I'd ruther added than hurt Harry. l seed
a boy III my apple tree an l made sure
hit was a niger, so 1 fired rock am l
Almost died when seed it was Harry fall
outcn the tree"
This was the simple story. Every word
was burned INFO Nathan's soul aud he
looked inside and read it over again to-
night. Harry was his Idol, and he was
dead. What else could his father do but
hate tho murderer and seek revenge? His
love had flowed out OF his heart, like a
torrent, into the life of his mothsrless son,
and the whole flood had turned back upon
hum when death took away his boy. What
had he left but his fields, and what were
they to him without Harry!
"Babv Stafford! m I played with
him am kissed him, and didn't kill him! |
couldn't even drop the stone OH his head.
Bat he's layin' thar yet, an maybe he'll
die"
Than the closed eyes and trustful face
came before him again, and he began lis
tening to the sobs that came from every
where. When he walked into his house,
Matty was putting supper upon the pl ain
wooden table, for Matty laid no stress up
ON cloths and napkins, and it had been a
long time since Nathan had known the
comforts Of cleanliness and order. He
looked hopelessly at the shiftless girl, who
sat opposite him at table; at the untidy
hair, co!larless neck, and snuff brush,
sticking half into the waist Of the calico
dress.
It was dreary picture to come to after
o man had struggled with despair. Ma
than helped himself to the fried ham and
biscuit, then pushed the dishes toward
Matty without looking up. There were no
toilets made for this meal. Why should
Nathan trouble himself about his hair or
his shirt for Matty? Sometimes if things
were too shiftless and dirty to be borne
with, he would give Matty a rebuke which
she took good-naturodly, obeying him
just enough TO keep the peace for while.
Tonight Nathan's thoughts wers far
from this simple table, when Matty spoke
to him:
"Pa, they's been baby lost over to
Stefford's to-day" He looked up, the
candle burning in the center Of the table
flared like fire. He could see nothing
but the binding light. Stafford was a.
passin' an he up'n hailed me outen the
winder, an asst me if I'd Sc ID boy four
year OLE"
Matty went on, her father was staring
at her, and she did not know that he could
not SEQ her.
They tole me over at Turner's that
Baby Stafford's been gone all day, an his
mas sick abed, an they're 'fraid hit'll kill
her fore mornin' if they don't find Jim.
They been a-huntin' up an down the creek
an ev'ywhars. told Stafford I wu'n't
mindin' his brats, but he didn't answer
nothin', jes' rode on"
Matty took another biscuit, broke it
open and laid piece of ham inside, then
began eating again.
mis- Stafford's got heart trouble, folks
says, an hit amt likely she'll git over it
if Baby's drowned. Mis- Turner flowed
to-day thut Baby's the fav'rit in the FAM